It’s too late for an EDDM campaign, but that doesn’t mean you should skip Halloween altogether. Believe it or not, consumers do care whether or not your small business celebrates the holidays. Shoppers appreciate seasonal promotions because these activities show you’re a part of the community. You don’t have to do anything major, although you should definitely do something on the 31st. Here are 10 super easy ways to show your spooky spirit!
1) Dress up – Don’t have time to decorate? Grab a Halloween costume and give your employees permission to come to work dressed up. You might want to set a few guidelines for appropriate attire i.e. no revealing outfits or fake weapons around kids. Sweeten the deal by letting everyone vote on who has the best costume. Don’t forget your pets! If you bring a dog or cat to the office, make sure to get an outfit for your furry friend.
2) Employee Pumpkin Carving Contest- Swing by the local pumpkin patch or a supermarket and get a pumpkin for each of your employees along with a couple of carving kits. Tell your staff there will be an important meeting in the morning, and surprise them with a pumpkin carving competition! Put the jack o lanterns on display in your store, and let your customers pick their favorite entry. Confession: I got this idea from my favorite independent market, Green Acres. Their custodian got my vote with the adorable cartoon cow pictured above.
3) Blog About Halloween – Your business blog doesn’t have to be serious all the time. I’m amazed at how many small biz owners neglect the opportunity to write fun articles. Post photos of you and your staff in costume, list your all-time favorite scary movies, research the history of All Hallow’s Eve—don’t be afraid to be creative and show your personality.
4) Play Themed Music in Store- Mood music goes a long way. And you are not limited to the cheesy sound effects you hear in the mall. Make your own Halloween playlist with unconventional songs, such as Ministry’s classic “Everyday is Halloween”. If you’re a movie buff, use the soundtrack to the Nightmare Before Christmas or another familiar favorite.
5) Give Your Logo a Halloween Creepover- This is an oldie but goodie. Your logo appears in many places online and inside your shop. Give your logo a creepy look with spider webs or by carving it into a pumpkin. You can post the design everywhere from your site to Facebook, Twitter, and on your front door.
6) Host a Halloween Trivia Contest on Social Media-Speaking of social, you can increase engagement on Facebook by asking a few fans to answer trivia questions. You can focus on something that’s universal i.e. history, popular films, etc., or adapt the concept to suite your industry. For example, a bakery could list ingredients from seasonal recipes, a real estate agent could do well known haunted houses.
7) Send a Halloween Email Blast- Discounts and sales are always welcome, but you don’t have to be running a specific promotion to wish your customers a happy holiday. Get your blog post done early, and do a newsletter type email announcing your social media plans for the day.
8) Make a Halloween Video – Your video doesn’t have to be a major studio production. Post a Halloween greeting for your email campaign, share the office costumes, or get the staff to do the monster mash.
9) Pin Everything Halloween for a Day- Facebook users usually don’t respond well to multiple posts in a single day. But other networks are a completely different story. You can pin vintage horror movie posters every hour and Tweet quotes from famous monsters all day. As long as you allow a little time to pass between posts, no one should get upset or unfollow.
10) Give a Discount to Ghoulish Customers- Be sure to recognize customers who stop by dressed as vampires, ghosts, and goblins. Pass out free candy and take 15% off their total at the register. Just remember to let them know why they’re getting special treatment.